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Lance Armstrong: Doping was an integral part of cycling career

by Take Two

In this handout photo provided by the Oprah Winfrey Network, Oprah Winfrey (R) speaks with Lance Armstrong during an interview regarding the controversy surrounding his cycling career January 14, 2013 in Austin, Texas. Oprah Winfrey’s exclusive no-holds-barred interview with Lance Armstrong, "Oprah and Lance Armstrong: The Worldwide Exclusive," has expanded to air as a two-night event on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. The special episode of "Oprah’s Next Chapter" will air Thursday, January 17 from 9-10:30 p.m. ET/PT (as previously announced) and Friday, January 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The interview will be simultaneously streamed LIVE worldwide both nights on Oprah.com. Handout/Getty Images

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In an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey last night, Lance Armstrong said his regimen consisted of blood transfusions, EPO and testosterone. He also said doping was an integral part of the sport and helped him win the Tour De France.

Oprah: "You've been quoted as saying that we had one goal one ambition and that was to win the greatest bike race in the world, and not just to win it once, but to keep on winning it. And to keep on winning it meant that you had to keep on using banned substances to do it."

Lance: "Yes, but that's like saying we have to have air in our tires, or we have to have water in our bottles. That was in my view... Part of the job."

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour De France titles last year.

Ed Engay is a cyclist we caught up with in Santa Monica this morning. He said the confession was not detailed enough:

"I didn't want him to necessarily throw anyone under the bus, but hey it's going to come out. He's taking these steps to bring it out, so why not just bring it out completely?"

In the interview, Armstrong told Winfrey that his downfall began a couple of years ago when his former teammate, Floyd Landis, admitted to doping.

Reed Albergotti, the Wall Street Journal reporter who broke the story, joins the show to offer his insight on Armstrong's admission.

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